The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition mission is to enhance the lives of families by facilitating fathers to connect with and be involved in the lives of their children. DFFC will achieve its mission by educating service providers so that they are equipped to effectively serve fathers, mothers and children.  

The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition will have as its objective and strategic direction to promote programs that will: 

• Fathers care—even if caring is not always shown in conventional ways.  
• The presence of fathers matters—in terms of economic well-being, social support, and child development.
• Joblessness is a major impediment to family formation and father involvement.
• Existing approaches to public benefits, child support enforcement, and paternity establishment operate to create obstacles and disincentives to father involvement. The disincentives are sufficiently compelling to have prompted the emergence of a phenomenon dubbed "underground fathers"—men who are involved in the lives of their children, but refuse to participate as fathers in formal systems.
• A growing number of young, unwed fathers and mothers need additional support to develop the vital skills to share responsibility for parenting.  
• The transition from biological father to committed parent has significant developmental implications for young fathers.  
• The behaviors of young parents, both fathers and mothers, are significantly influenced by intergenerational beliefs and practices within families of origin.

These findings offer a context for understanding the challenges faced by many young and adult men who want to become responsible fathers and the foundation on which DFFC programs are established. The Detroit Fathers and Families Coalition is an affiliate of the Fathers and Families Coalition of America (www.azffc.org).